


changkyuwon | far from home

by plincess_cho (ai_hao)



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Super Junior
Genre: Adventure, ChangKyu - Freeform, Crack, Gen, Mostly Crack, OT3, Wonkyu, changkyuwon, non-au, well it is an au bc it's set in the alternate universe where suju acknowledge that the usa exists, what else to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:22:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24412009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_hao/pseuds/plincess_cho
Summary: All you need for the perfect vacation are friends, food, and a frightening drive in the snow.
Relationships: Cho Kyuhyun/Choi Siwon, Cho Kyuhyun/Shim Changmin, Choi Siwon/Shim Changmin, Shim Changmin/Cho Kyuhyun/Choi Siwon
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	changkyuwon | far from home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Heeyumyum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heeyumyum/gifts).



> For [Yumi](twitter.com/heeyumyum)♡
> 
> Yes, this is set in the alternative universe where DBSJ members actually come to the States.

“How was your vacation?” Hyukjae asks upon Kyuhyun’s arrival back to the dorms.

“Let me put it this way,” Kyuhyun replies. “I never need to visit the United States again.”

*

Kids do dumb things. University students do dumb things. Idols technically are not supposed to do dumb things. They’re supposed to live responsibly and pursue responsible things. After all, the entire world is watching. Any appearance in public, whether you intend for it to be discovered by the fans or the media, should be planned appropriately in order to not cause a scandal or some other ruckus.

Thus why the three musketeers, Cho Kyuhyun, Shim Changmin, and Choi Siwon, decide that instead of touring around Japan in search of the best ramen or visiting Italy to learn how to make pasta, they should take a road trip through the United States.

“It’ll be fun!” Siwon exclaims. “We can rent a car, drive through all the small towns, catch a robber, try new foods, find our long-lost loves!”

“I think you’ve watched too many American movies,” Changmin snorts, but in the end, they all like the idea. Driving through the middle of nowhere should keep them out of sight of any fans they encounter after sneaking off to America.

And so they arrive in New Orleans at the start of Mardi Gras and spend a few days eating, drinking, partying, and nursing hangovers. There’s more than one trip to the pharmacy in search of something to settle their stomachs, and after a few days of Cajun food, they get into their rented Sonata and head for Nashville.

They spend a few days in Nashville enjoying the local music scene, drinking new types of beer, and sampling the local barbeque. After his third beer, Siwon decides he’s going to quit his MBA program to become a country singer. Changmin and Kyuhyun, both several beers in themselves, think they’ll join him. The local bar patrons have no idea what they’re saying but they raise their bottles to Kyuhyun’s toast and cheer.

Their next stop is Chicago, and now the weather has gotten colder. They’re significantly farther north than when they had started, but even the news says it’s been unseasonably cold. 

“I don’t think spring exists here,” Changmin says, huffing into his newly acquired parka. “This is winter weather if I’ve ever seen it.”

The cold weather doesn’t stop them from repeating their same activities though: Eating, drinking, and visiting local tourist sites. They find a few Korean restaurants for the first time on their trip and decide to take a break from the influx of new and exciting foods for something more comforting. Changmin thinks kimchi has never tasted so good.

The last leg of their journey will take them from Chicago north to a city called Minneapolis where they’ll turn in the rental car and catch a direct flight back to Incheon. The drive should be the shortest of their drives so far, and the three of them settle in. Siwon takes the wheel, Kyuhyun slides into the passenger’s seat in order to control his perfectly curated road trip playlist, and Changmin stretches out across the backseat, grateful for the extra legroom.

Siwon guides them onto the Kennedy Expressway heading northwest when Kyuhyun gets an alert on his phone.

“Uh oh…” he says.

“What?” Siwon asks.

“Looks like we’re driving right into a big snowstorm,” he says, holding up his phone with the radar pulled up. Sure enough, there’s a massive cell directly over their route.

“Do you think we should pull over?” Changmin asks. He pulls out his phone too.

Kyuhyun examines the radar more closely. “There’s a good chance that the storm will pass before we get to this part of…” his voice trails off. “Wis-con-seen?” 

“Wisconsin,” Siwon corrects. “Let me see.” He takes the phone from Kyuhyun and peers at it quickly. “It does look like it’s going north. I think we’ll miss it.”

So they keep driving north. At Rockford, the sun has disappeared into clouds. By Beloit, the sky has darkened considerably. And by the time they pass through Madison, the world around has turned into a wall of white snow. Despite their best calculations, they have driven right into the middle of the storm.

Kyuhyun turns off the music so Siwon, who is clutching the steering wheel with white knuckles, can concentrate. The three of them sit in silence as the car moves forward at a snail’s pace. The snow makes it hard to see more than a few meters in front of them. They stay in the right lane, but they couldn’t change lanes even if they tried. They’re boxed in on all sides by large long-distance hauling trucks that look like they could take out their little sedan in no time.

“We should’ve gotten an SUV,” Changmin remarks.

“Yeah,” the other two agree. But how could they have known they would be driving through a snowstorm?

“We need to get off this highway,” Siwon says. “Where’s the next exit?”

The other two pull out their phones, but neither of them can get service. Changmin isn’t sure if it’s the snowstorm knocking out the signal or just the fact that they seem to be in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t get great cell service in the rural parts of Korea. Why would America be any different?

“Don’t know,” he says, putting his phone down. “We’ll look for a sign.”

But everything is white. They can’t even see the mile markers on the side of the road. 

Everyone is tense. Siwon, not used to driving in snow in a sedan without four wheel drive, is visibly sweating. He keeps his eyes glued to the road, concentrating hard. The other two don’t speak. Kyuhyun prays silently that they’ll survive. If they die out here in this storm, how will his parents know? Will anyone find their bodies frozen in this vehicle?

Changmin sees the semi truck first as it starts edging over into their lane. The driver probably can’t see them from his vantage point in the cab, and he maneuvers the truck into the right lane without seeing the little sedan with three Korean dudes struggling to stay on the road.

“Siwon, watch out!” Changmin yells.

Siwon sees the truck and presses the horn incessantly. The truck keeps coming over, and Siwon does his best to press on the brakes and get out of the way. But it’s no use. The car skids in the slick snow and fishtails wildly in the snow, and the boys all start to scream. 

“He doesn’t see you!” Kyuhyun exclaims. “You have to get over!”

“I can’t!” Siwon yells. “There’s nowhere to go!”

The truck keeps moving, clearly oblivious to them. “You’ve got to get over!” Kyuhyun screams. 

Finally, at the last minute, Siwon yanks the steering wheel to the right and pulls the car off right as the truck fully moves into their lane. They finally come to a stop on what seems to be the shoulder, and everyone takes a deep breath.

“That idiot almost killed us!” Changmin seethes.

Siwon and Kyuhyun just nod, eyes wide from fear.

They survey their surroundings, or what they can see of them. Now that they’re not moving, visibility has improved slightly, and they can see the slow trudge of traffic to their left. Yet instead of driving into the shoulder or a ditch like they had suspected, it seems that Siwon had steered them onto the side of an exit ramp. 

“Let’s see where this goes,” Kyuhyun says. “Most of the exits on this route lead to little towns, so hopefully this one does too. I think we need to ride out this storm before getting back on the road.”

The other two agree. Siwon pushes on the gas lightly, but the car doesn’t move. He presses down harder until the car’s wheels spin in the wet snow, but still the car doesn’t move.

“I think we’re going to have to get out and push,” he says grimly. Kyuhyun and Changmin grimace, but they zip their parkas up and open the doors.

The snow whips around them, and they can feel the wet flakes dampening their clothes. They position themselves behind the car and on Siwon’s mark, push with all of their might. The wheels kick snow into their faces but before long, the tires finally catch the pavement and propel the car forward. Kyuhyun and Changmin run after the car and jump in.

The car inches down the exit ramp and comes to a T-intersection. “Left or right?” Siwon asks.

Changmin squints at the snow-covered sign. “Left. I think I see the symbol for lodging.”

They manage to pull into a gas station before Siwon finally turns off the car and the other two breathe sighs of relief. 

“Remind me who decided to come to the United States in the middle of winter,” Kyuhyun grumbles. He keeps trying to brush his wet fringe out of his face, but it’s no use. The wet strands keep flopping back down onto his forehead.

“In my defense, it’s nearly March. Isn’t that spring?” Siwon says.

“Stupid America and their lack of proper seasons,” Kyuhyun says darkly.

The three of them get out of the car with wobbly legs. Siwon fills the car with gas, while Changmin and Kyuhyun head inside the shop to inquire about a place to weather out the storm.

“This should pass by in an hour or two,” the man behind the counter says. “Shouldn’t be too bad.”

Changmin repeats the man’s words to Kyuhyun in Korean. 

“It’s already getting dark, and by that time, it’ll be pitch black,” Kyuhyun says. “I don’t want to be driving in the snow in the dark in the middle of nowhere.”

Changmin agrees. He tells the man they’d prefer to stay overnight somewhere and asks if he could recommend lodging for them. The man thinks for a moment before pulling out a map and circling something for Changmin.

“There’s a bed and breakfast a little ways down the road. They’re usually full this time of year but with the weather and such, they might have some spare rooms available.”

Changmin nods and thanks the man with a bow. He and Kyuhyun quickly canvas the store for snacks and make their purchases. 

They run through the snow back out to the car, and Changmin shows the map to Siwon. “The guy said there’s a bed and breakfast nearby that hopefully will have space to crash for the night.”

“Let’s do it.”

Siwon cautiously eases the car back out onto the road. Everything is slick, and the car skids a bit through the slush. They slowly make their way down the road. The map takes them through the main drag of the town, if you can call it that. There are a few fast food restaurants, another gas station, a truck stop, and several advertisements for establishments selling adult items. They also see a variety of signs for cheese and fireworks, something none of them really understand.

At the edge of town, there’s another T intersection. The road to the left clearly leads back to the highway, while the road to the right leads off to what looks to be an empty expanse of white. They consult the map and confirm, they do need to drive into the abyss in order to find the bed and breakfast.

“Why do I have a feeling we’re about to enter a horror film?” Changmin asks.

“We’ve already almost died once,” Kyuhyun replies. “I think we’re already in a horror film.”

And so Siwon turns the car to the right, and they drive into another white wall of snow.

They all breathe a collective sigh of relief when the headlights of the car light on the sign for the bed and breakfast. Siwon maneuvers the car into a parking space next to a minivan covered in snow.

The bed and breakfast, clearly an old farmhouse, is lit up from the inside and shines like a beacon through the snow and darkness. The three boys pull their bags out of the trunk and tromp inside, praying desperately that there will be rooms available for them. They’re cold, their shoes and jeans are soggy, and their nerves are shot from the harrowing experience on the interstate. 

The walk up the stairs to the covered porch, grateful to get out of the snow. Siwon rings the doorbell. There’s a long wait before someone comes to the door, and they start to wonder if anyone is home.

“Maybe this place is haunted,” Kyuhyun whispers.

“Stop it,” Siwon says. “You’re freaking me out.”

“I’m freaking myself out!” Kyuhyun replies.

The door is opened by an older man wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. Siwon thinks he looks exactly like how he had always pictured American farmers from the movies, but he keeps that to himself. Instead, he greets the man warmly and asks if this is the bed and breakfast they had been looking for.

“Yes yes, come in,” the man gestures. 

The three boys tromp inside, overly conscious of how their shoes are dripping onto the floor. They’re welcomed into a warm sitting room filled with cozy couches and a roaring fire. It looks amazing, and they all feel better already.

A woman, presumably the man’s wife, bustles over and expresses alarm at the boys’ bedraggled state. “Must be some storm outside!” she exclaims.

They nod. 

“We got caught in the snowstorm and were wondering if you had rooms available for the night so we can dry off and wait out the storm,” Siwon says in English, turning the charm up to 100. 

The woman thinks for a moment and then says, “We do have one available, but everything else has been booked. It’s a private room on the bottom floor with a private bath. Will that be sufficient?”

Siwon nods without consulting the others. “That will be perfect, thank you.”

The two of them converse for a bit, confirming the particulars, while the man turns to Changmin and Kyuhyun. “Where are you headed?” he asks.

“Minneapolis,” Changmin replies. “We’ve just come from Chicago.”

“Ah,” the man says. “The big city.”

They nod. 

“Is Minneapolis your final stop?” he asks. They can tell he’s trying to ask if they’re from this area without being rude, but they’re both too tired to care.

“No,” Changmin says. “We’re flying back to Seoul from Minneapolis. We all… work there.” He tries to be vague, and the man doesn’t catch on.

The man nods and makes a few comments about Minneapolis. Kyuhyun is grateful that Changmin and Siwon are taking responsibility for most of their interactions with the locals. Speaking English takes a lot of effort at the best of times, and these are certainly not the best of times. 

The woman hands Siwon his credit card and a set of keys before motioning the boys to follow her. They balk at the thought of walking in with their wet shoes, but she assures them it’s no problem. “We’ll dry off after you.”

She shows them to a room that is indeed spacious as she promised. There’s a sitting area with an armchair and a couch and then a sleeping area with a dresser and the largest bed the three have ever seen. There’s a bathroom down the hall complete with toilet and American-style shower, and Siwon assures her it all looks lovely.

“Can I get you boys anything? Hot tea or some decaf coffee?” 

Siwon requests three hot teas for them, and the woman returns a few moments later with a steaming kettle, several mugs, and an arm-full of fluffy towels. The boys thank her and she heads back upstairs, leaving them to dry off and clean up.

Changmin and Kyuhyun play rock paper scissors for the shower since they’re the most disheveled from pushing the car. Kyuhyun wins and beelines for the shower to wash off the cold from his body. Changmin and Siwon divest themselves of their wet clothes at least and wait for their turn in the shower.

“You didn’t tell the owners who we are, did you?” Changmin asks Siwon.

He shakes his head. “I can’t imagine they’ve ever heard of us and didn’t have the energy to explain.”

“It feels… weird,” Changmin admits, “being completely unknown here. Yet it’s incredibly freeing.”

Siwon nods. “Almost makes you want to give up being an idol all together sometimes.”

Changmin agrees. “Sometimes.”

Once they’re all clean and dry, the three of them sit in the sitting area drinking herbal tea. 

“So this wasn’t exactly on the itinerary, was it?” Siwon asks Kyuhyun with a chuckle.

“No,” Kyuhyun replies, but he offers a small smile in return. “This is certainly… an interesting stop on our journey. Where even are we?”

“Looks like we’re about four hours from Minneapolis,” Changmin says, scrolling through his phone. Thankfully, their hosts had provided them with login information for the wifi. 

“So in theory, we can be on the road first thing in the morning and still have a full day,” Kyuhyun says. He checks the radar. “It does look like the storm is passing tonight and should be cleared up by tomorrow.”

The other two nod and agree to Kyuhyun’s new plan. After all, he had been the one to meticulously plan their entire trip itinerary. Why stop now?

There’s a moment of silence as they all sip their mugs of steaming tea. 

Siwon is the one who starts chuckling first.

“What?” Kyuhyun asks, but already his face is breaking into a smile too.

“I’m just thinking,” he says. “There are a lot of times in my life where I’ve wondered  _ How on earth did I end up here? _ But usually those are moments of intense gratitude, where I’m onstage performing in front of fans or where I’m laughing with the members or where I’m doing what I love.”

“Not being holed up in some tiny bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere halfway around the world due to a freak snowstorm?” Changmin asks. They all laugh.

“Not usually, no,” Siwon says. “But being warm and safe and spending time with two of my favorite people in the world? I’ll take that anyday.”

“Cheesy,” Kyuhyun says, “but agreed.” He throws one arm around Siwon’s shoulders and pulls him close. “That being said, I never want to come close to dying in a vehicle ever again.”

It hits Siwon and Changmin at the same time, and immediately their eyes fill with concern. But before they can say anything, Kyuhyun brushes them off and says, “I’m fine, really. Just a momentary flash.”

There’s a pause, and then he continues, “I always wonder how my life would’ve turned out if I hadn’t been able to sing anymore. Maybe it would’ve been more of this: trips with friends to places where nobody knows my name.”

“In a different life, I suppose,” Siwon says, to which both Kyuhyun and Changmin start singing  [ “In a different life~” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrcJylXQe0M) in singsongy voices. They all laugh, and it breaks the tension.

“But for real,” Kyuhyun says. “I’m glad to be here with you guys. I needed this trip.”

“Same here,” Changmin says, and they clink their mugs of tea together in a toast.

They talk for a bit about how glad they are to have time off, even if it meant enduring the snowstorm from hell. Finally,  Changmin suggests watching a funny movie to destress from the day, and the other two agree. Since there’s no television in the room, they all climb onto the giant bed together, Kyuhyun in the middle with his iPad propped on his knees with Siwon and Changmin on either side. Before the credits roll, however, all three of them have fallen fast asleep.

*

Siwon wakes up first to find his hand resting on Kyuhyun’s stomach and his nose buried in his neck. He can see Changmin tucked against Kyuhyun’s other side, cheese smushed against his shoulder. It’s cozy, and Siwon revels in the closeness for a few minutes before gently shaking the others awake. The sun is just about to peek over the horizon, and they need to get on the road.

They all gather their things, tidy up the room, and head upstairs. Much to their surprise, the couple they had met earlier are up and preparing breakfast for everyone. It would be rude to decline, so the three sit down at the table with what seem to be some of the other bed and breakfast guests and allow the couple to fill their plates with eggs, toast, fruit, and bacon.

They chat with the other guests. Three are in town for work projects, something agricultural they surmise. One couple and their two children are also on a road trip heading down to Chicago. And the other couple are old friends of the owners, just visiting for the week. 

“So what do you do for work?” one of the men asks Siwon. 

There’s really no avoiding the question, so he replies, “We’re — uh — singers, in Korea.”

“Oh? What kind of music do you sing?”

“K-pop, so Korean pop music.”

“Ah,” everyone around the table is starting at them now with rapt attention.

“Are you famous?” one of the children asks.

All three look sheepish, while their parents blanch. “I mean… Yes?” Changmin offers. 

That sends everyone into a state of excitement. It’s so novel, they say, meeting a celebrity, and the boys just have to laugh. Two minutes ago, they were all just strangers eating bacon, and now they’ve become celebrities. They each sing a few lines of a song but tell the guests to look them up online instead. The hosts, gracious as they are, politely steer the conversation away to give the boys a break.

They get back on the road later than intended, but with full stomachs and full hearts. Yes, this will definitely make quite the story for their friends back home.

The drive to Minneapolis is clear as can be, and most of the snow had melted off the road overnight. They spend one last day in America eating, drinking, and gallivanting before they arrive at the airport for their flight back to Seoul.

“This was fun,” Changmin says.

“Yes,” Siwon agrees. “Let’s do this again.”

“No,” Kyuhyun says. “I’m never doing this again. Next time? We’re going to Italy and eating pasta for two weeks like God intended.”

The other two laugh. “Sounds good to me.”

*

“It was that bad, huh?” Hyukjae asks as he watches Kyuhyun unpack his suitcase.

“Let’s just say the last leg of the trip was quite eventful,” Kyuhyun replies. “Quite eventful indeed.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love! ♡
> 
> Find me on twitter [here.](twitter.com/plincess_cho)  
> ♡[More Kyuhyun/Siwon fics](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=Cho+Kyuhyun%2FChoi+Siwon&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&user_id=ai_hao)  
> ♡[More Changmin/Kyuhyun fics](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&commit=Sort+and+Filter&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&include_work_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=293470&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&user_id=ai_hao)  
> ♡[More Changmin/Siwon fics](https://archiveofourown.org/works?utf8=%E2%9C%93&work_search%5Bsort_column%5D=revised_at&include_work_search%5Bcharacter_ids%5D%5B%5D=164464&include_work_search%5Bcharacter_ids%5D%5B%5D=224189&include_work_search%5Brelationship_ids%5D%5B%5D=1782796&work_search%5Bother_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bexcluded_tag_names%5D=&work_search%5Bcrossover%5D=&work_search%5Bcomplete%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_from%5D=&work_search%5Bwords_to%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_from%5D=&work_search%5Bdate_to%5D=&work_search%5Bquery%5D=&work_search%5Blanguage_id%5D=&commit=Sort+and+Filter&user_id=ai_hao)


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